Interior design begins with textiles, and when it comes to home textiles, Fortuny’s legendary fabrics are unmatched in style

There are also several hundred patterns and colorways in company archives, Coleman says. His new book showcases Fortuny textiles in décor styles as diverse as a Malibu, Calif., beach house, where the light blue Fragonard pattern was used on pillows to reflect the colors of the ocean, to a traditional Virginia home, where the owners upholstered the walls in the classic persimmon and gold Lambelle textile.

“One of my favorite applications was the use of Ashanti, an organic, geometric pattern inspired by the sacred kente cloth of the Ashanti people of Ghana, Africa, that was used as chair upholstery in a very modern condominium in San Diego,” Coleman says.

While it’s said you can’t put a price tag on good taste, Fortuny’s complex fabrics and secret manufacturing processes don’t come cheap. The fabrics cost $369 per yard and are available only through design professionals.